Australian roadtrip
Our first day was spent exploring all that Perth has to offer, our favourite area being Kings Park, with its fabulous views of the city skyline and beautiful flora and fauna. Perth is a mix of old and new, and is quite provincial. We got a train to Fremantle which is a delight and a bit old fashioned, and took a ferry to Rottnest Island, a traffic free white sand island just off the mainland and met the local quokka population, travelling back to Perth along the Swan River.
Next stop Sydney. The best way to approach the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House is by ferry. This metropolis was buzzing with tourists. We wandered around Darling Harbour and were treated to the weekly free fireworks display. We strolled around Circular Quay, The Rocks, and the Botanical Gardens, which led us to Hyde Park, and the busy shopping area. Another day was spent up in the Blue Mountains, and a visit to the Jenolan Caves, which are well worth it.
From Sydney we flew to Launceston in North Tasmania, for a fly drive around the island. Cradle Mountain took us back to nature, a complete wilderness retreat, where all you could hear was bird song and the only visitors were the pademelons and possums. A wonderful place to walk and photograph. Driving east from there we arrived at the Freycinet National Park, in contrast to the undulating scenery we found beautiful white sand beaches and coves, my favourite being Wineglass Bay, which although a took a strenuous hour or so to walk through the undergrowth and an uphill trail, was well worth it. It was bliss having an evening drink overlooking Coles Bay and watching the sun go down after a hard day's walking and photographing. Plenty of wallabies to be found here.
Next we headed south towards the Tasman Peninsular. Here the coastline becomes rugged, with crashing waves and carved rock formations, very dramatic. We stopped at Port Arthur and spent a day at the Heritage site there, learning about the lives of the many convicts who were sent there 150 years ago. Life was hard then and it was interesting to hear the stories from the informative staff. Ninety minutes on from Port Arthur is the region's capital Hobart. An attractive city, mainly focused around the waterfront, we strolled around and found the old Victorian streets and houses that could have been on the Isle of Wight. Not to miss was the drive up to Mount Wellington which overlooks the city. The views from the top were magnificent, as you could see the city and across to the Tasman Peninsular and over the mountains to the north too.
Back to the mainland and Victoria, we picked up another car and headed west from Melbourne to the Grampians area and Halls Gap, which is the centre for campers and walkers. We explored the mountains, with great views from various lookouts, walks and waterfalls. Lots of kangaroos came out to feed at dusk in this area. From there we drove south to the coast and Port Fairy. This little town is very pleasant, and has everything, nice beach walks, a marina, quirky restaurants (we ate at Coffin Sally) and the second oldest lighthouse in Australia. About 15 minutes along the coast towards Warrambool, we stopped at the Tower Hill State Reserve and were very lucky to see a koala within touching distance, busily feeding on gum leaves. Emus wandered by too, so it was great to see different wildlife. We stopped at Kennett River too and saw more koalas and cheeky parakeets, which took a liking to my head and arms, using them as a perch!
Along the Great Ocean Road, from Port Campbell to the Otway Peninsular we found the most dramatic rock formations, such as the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard, and London Bridge. At almost every turn there was a view to photograph, so it took some time to complete our journey that day just outside Apollo Bay. From Apollo Bay, along the coast to Melbourne, isn't so dramatic, although there were plenty of pull-ins, the view was less spectacular. The road hugs the coast and winds its way towards Melbourne.
Melbourne's roads were extremely busy after the hours of driving along virtually empty roads, but we found our hotel and decided not to use the car again until it was time to return to the airport. We stayed south of the Yarra River and were glad we did. In this area, there are plenty of restaurants, street theatre and music as you wandered along the waterside. We did venture across the river, but found the CBD to be busy, and not as appealing. We took a trip to the top of the Eureka Tower, which gave fantastic panoramic city views and strolled along the river to the beautiful Botanical gardens and parks. We found the Shrine of Remembrance which in itself was very interesting, but also gave some beautiful views across to the city. In the evening we booked a dinner on the Colonial Tramcar, which is an old tram that takes you south to St Kilda to see the old part of Melbourne, whilst enjoying sumptuous dining.
Then it was time to drive back to the airport and return to Blighty. Our overall impression of Australia was that it was relatively expensive, but the people and the scenery more than made up for this. We loved it, and shall return one day to explore the other areas we couldn't visit.